A RENOWNED girls’ Cambridge school, located in the vicinity of Karachi television station and owned by a leading business family, has withheld my daughter’s official result of O level examination, 2019 on the ground she refused internship (voluntary) in summer vacations.

The school informed students in the month of May this year that every student had to do 30 to 40 hours of internship in selected organisations and declared it mandatory.

Voluntary actions or activities cannot be forced upon anybody, and it is an individual’s prerogative to accept or refuse. It was astonishing that a voluntary service should require students to pay for registration, commute and meals.

Cambridge International Examinations do not require any internship programme as it is not explicitly connected to academic learning. This is self-created — by some private schools like other unnecessary activities just to mint money.

My daughter is very upset and suffering from agony because of this, and it is now difficult to her to concentrate on her studies. Authorities concerned are requested to take immediate notice of the matter and deal school as per law.

Shirin Jabeen

Karachi

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2019